2IMAM ABU ABDILLAH AL-HUSSEIN (A.S)We send our congratulations to Imam Muhammed AlMahdi (AS), our holy Ulama, and the Muslim World on the birth anniversary of the IMAM ABU ABDILLAH AL-HUSSEIN (A.S), Leader of the Martyr, the vicegerent of AlMighty Allah, the Second Imam, the grandson of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH).

3IMAM ABU ABDILLAH AL-HUSSEIN (A.S)On the third of the blessed month of Sha'ban, the fourth year after Hijrah, and a year after the birth of Imam Hassan, ImamHussein (a.s.) was born.

7IMAM ABU ABDILLAH AL-HUSSEIN (A.S)The status of Imam Hussein (a.s.) is unparalleled, except by that of his father, mother, brother, and the Imams of his offspring (peace be upon all of them). Should a historian make a good research, collecting the stories and traditions concerning Imam Hussein (a.s.), he would certainly end up with the Imam (a.s.) as the top example among the Muslims. He would write a voluminous, great work covering this Imam.The Glorious Qur'an, the supreme divine document, which falsehood can never reach from before or behind it, expresses in many verses the lofty position Imam Hussein (a.s.) achieved in the sight of Allah (swt). Following are some of these verses:

91. Verse of Purification (Tathir): "Allah only wishes to keep away uncleanness from you (Household of the Prophet) and purify you thoroughly." Holy Qur'an (33:33) Traditions say, regarding the reason this verse was revealed, that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) called for a shawl. With it he covered Ali, Fatimah, Hassan, and Hussein (a.s.). "O my Lord," he said, "these are the members of my family. Remove uncleanness from them and purely purify them." and so this noble verse was revealed on this occasion. It is a testimony by Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, on the purity of the Prophetic house (Ahlul Bait [a.s.]) and their great stature.

102. Verse of Malediction (Mubahala): "If anyone disputes with you about it (your prophet hood) after the knowledge has come to you, say, 'Come, let us bring our sons and your sons and our women and your women and ourselves and yourselves and pray to Allah to curse the lying party." Holy Qur'an (3:61) The Qur'anic exegesis's and scholars say that his noble verse was revealed when the Christians of the city of Najran agreed with the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) to pray to Allah to destroy the party which struck falsehood. As agreed, and on time, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) went out to the place chosen for the contest. He carried Imam Hussein (a.s.) and took Imam Hassan (a.s.) by the hand. Fatimah followed behind while Imam Ali walked in their wake. "Say 'Amen' at the end of my prayer," the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) told them. But, upon seeing those brilliant faces filled with piety and grandeur, the Christians stopped short of entering the contest. They recognized the Prophet's authority, and paid the tribute. The noble verse called Hassan and Hussein "our sons," mentioned the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), and referred to Ali as "ourselves" and Fatimah as "our women." She symbolizes the whole of womankind in this verse. Had there been other people who had higher status than these people, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) certainly would have brought them along with him.

113. Verse of Affection (Muwada):"...say: 'I do not ask you for any payment for my preaching to you, except the love of my relatives..." Holy Qur'an (42:23) The Qur'anic exegesis's state that this verse was revealed concerning Ali, Fatimah, Hassan and Hussein (a.s.). Jabir bin Abdullah is reported to have said: "A bedouin came to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and said, 'O Muhammad! introduce me to Islam.' "'You should bear witness,' replied the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) 'that there is no god but Allah, Who is the only God, Who has no partner whatsoever, and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.' "'Do you ask for recompense in return?' asked the bedouin. "'No,' said the Prophet (s.a.w.), 'except that you should love the relatives.' "'Mine or yours?' inquired the man. "'Mine,' said the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.). "'Hold out your hand,' said the bedouin. 'I give you my pledge of allegiance. My Allah curse whoever doesn't love you or your kindred.' "'Amen,' said the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.)." It is reported in the Musnad (Book of traditions) of Ahmad bin Hanbal, the two Sahihs (Authentic books of traditions), and the exegesis of al-Tha'alibi and al-Tabarsi, that Ibn Abbas, may Allah (swt) be pleased with him, was quoted as saying, "When the verse (say: I do not ask you for any payment for my preaching to you except the love for my relatives) was revealed, Muslims asked the Prophet (s.a.w.), 'O Messenger of Allah! Who are your kinsfolk whom we should love?! 'Ali, Fatimah and their two sons,' answered the Prophet (s.a.w.)."

124.Traditions from Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) Next to the verses of the Glorious Qur'an, we quote certain statements, from the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) as additional evidence expressing the lofty position occupied by Imam Hussein (a.s.) in the world of Islam and the Muslim ummah. 1. In the Sahih of al-Tirmidhi, Ya'la bin Murrah is quoted to have said, "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said, 'Hussein is from me and i am from Hussein. Allah loves whoever loves Hussein. Hussein is a disciple of the disciples." 2. Salman al-Farsi is reported to have said, "I heard the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.) saying, 'Hassan and Hussein are my two sons. Whoever loves them then he loves me. And whoever dislikes them then he dislikes me. And whoever dislikes me then Allah dislikes him. And whomever Allah dislikes, He will throw him into hell face downward.'" 3. Al-Bara' bin Azib is quoted to have said, "I saw the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) carrying Hussein bin Ali (a.s.) on his shoulder. He was saying, 'O Lord! I do love him so love him.'" 4. Abdullah bin Mas'ood is reported to have said, "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said, concerning Hassan and Hussein, 'These are my two sons, whoever loves them then he loves me. And whoever dislikes them he dislikes me.'"

13IMAM ABU ABDILLAH AL-HUSSEIN (A.S)WEEPING & LAMENTING POETRY:It is reported from Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a.s) that: “No poet recites a line of poetry about us without the support of the Holy Spirit”. (‘Uyoon Akhbar al-Ridha)He (a.s) also said, “God has built a house (bayt) in Heaven for whoever recites a line of poetry about us”.

14IMAM ABU ABDILLAH AL-HUSSEIN (A.S)HIS HUMBLENESSOnce Imam Hussein (a.s.) passed by poor men eating crumbs of bread on a mat. He greeted them and they invited himto their meal. He sat among them and said: "If your food were not alms, I would have eaten with you. Come home with me," he asked them. There, he fed them, clothed them and provided them with money. One could really detect the depth of his humbleness through examination of this vivid testimony, particularly when we take into consideration that Imam Hussein (a.s.) was the political and ideological figure who was appointed as the legitimate leader of the Muslims by Allah, through His Messenger (s.a.w.). As for his social position, he was so matchless and unique, that Ibn Abbas, the revered companion of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), used to hold the stirrup of his horse when he would mount it. Ibn Abbas was older than Imam Hussein (a.s.), but he did this out of his respect for him. It is because of his glorious social status that the people would dismount from their horses and camels, on the way to Mecca to perform their pilgrimage, as long as he would travel on foot.

15IMAM ABU ABDILLAH AL-HUSSEIN (A.S)His Forgiveness of the Wrongdoers This is another one of this key attributes. Once a young servant of his did something which deserved punishment. When Imam Hussein (a.s.) wanted to punish him, the servant said: "Who curb their anger." "Let him go", said the Imam. "And those who forgive their fellow-man,' added the servant. "And Allah loves the charitable, sir," said the servant. "I set you free, for the sake of Allah," said the Imam. "Henceforth I am going to give you the double of what Ihave been giving you." These are only brief instances of the ethical side of the character of Imam Hussein (a.s.). Aspects of His Thought We deem it suitable to mention to mention some of his activities in the field of Islamic thought. These texts testify to his great intellectual capacity, polished by the divine message and set on the right track by Allah, the Almighty. Nafi' bin al-Azraq, the head of the Azraqis who were among the Khawarij (those who mutinied against Imam Ali [a.s.] after the Battle of Siffeen), once asked to describe his Lord Whom he worshipped. "O Nafi'!," Imam Hussein (a.s.) started, "Whoever uses symbolism in religious matters will always remain in confusion, deviated as he stumbles off the right path, sticking to deviation wherever he goes, straying off the right course, and saying bad, and worthless things. O son of Azraq! I can describe my Lord with the very words He used to describe Himself: Never recognized by the five senses. Never compared to man. Very close but not to the point of being touched. Very far but not so far that He can't be detected. He is One and can't be partitioned. Known by His signs. Described by His attributes. There is no god but He, the Great, the Exalted." At that point Ibn al-Azraq wept and said: "What beautiful words are yours."

17A GIFT FROM IMAM AL-HUSSEIN (A.S)On the 10th day of Muharram, known as the day of ‘Aashura, in the year 61 A.H. when Imam Abu ‘Abdillahil Hussein (as) came into the tent to bid farewell to his family members, he held the hand of his sick son, Ali ibn al-Hussein (as) and pressed it against his chest. He (as) then said,“O son ! I am teaching you a dua’ which you should remember. It was taught by angel Jibrail to my grandfather the messenger of Allah who passed it to my mother Fatima. Whenever you have a special need or are faced with any calamity or crises, or are inflicted with any grief or hardship, then recite the following supplication”:BIHAQQI YASEEN WAL QUR-AANIL ‘HAKEEMWA BIHAQQI TAA-HAA WAL QUR-AANIL ‘ADHEEMYAA MAN YAQDIRU ‘ALAA ‘HAWAA-IJIS-SAA-ILEENYAA MAN YA’LAMU MAA FID-DHAMEERYAA MUNAFFISAN ‘ANIL MAKROOBEENYAA MUFARRIJAN ‘ANIL MAGHMOOMEENYAA RAA-‘HIMA SHAYKHIL KABEERYAA RAAZIQAT TIFLIS-SAGHEERYAA MAN LAA YAHTAAJU ILAT-TAFSEERSALLI ‘ALAA MUHAMMADIN WA AALI MUHAMMADINWAF-‘AL BEE …….(mention your wishes)By the truth of Yaseen (a title of the Holy Prophet) and the Quran full of wisdomAnd for the sake of Taa-haa (another title of the Holy Prophet) and the great QuranO he Who is able to fulfil the desires of those ask. O He Who knows what is in the heart. O He Who banishes sorrow from the sorrowful. O He Who dispels grief from those who grieve. O He Who is merciful to old men. O He Who provides for infants. O He Who needs not to be explained. Send blessings upon Muhammad and his progeny and fulfil for me…(mention your wishes)The above dua’ can be found in Mafateeh al-Jinaan, page no.380Late Ahmed Hussein Sheriff in his book “Imam Hussein (as), as his words potray”comments on the above dua’ as thus:This dua’ in fact is meant to be a lesson to us not to get shaken in faith even under most trying circumstances. The words contained in the dua’ are meant to convey to us that Allah (SWT) is fully aware of what is going on in our hearts. He is capable of dispelling our sorrows and griefs and He is the only One Who can fulfil all our desires. What is required of us is always to have full trust in Him and rely upon Him and Him alone.He further adds:As such, we are taught to present our desires and our problems through intermediaries and with the recommendations of the divinely chosen personalities in the persons of Muhammad (saww) and his progeny. We are therefore required to invoke blessings upon Muhammad (saww) and his progeny whilst invoking to Almighty God.